After C's poor church behavior at the rehearsal the night before, I had already prepared myself not to see the wedding or M's flower girl routine. To my surprise, however, C was in a very good and agreeable mood for the event. He sat through the entire procession without fussing or outbursts.

M was a real attention-getter. She tossed those flower petals up into the air like nothing I've ever seen. It really was a fantastic performance. I found out later that within five minutes of sitting down in the pew with grandma, both M and the ring bearer cousin R were sound asleep.

After the procession, C and I excused ourselves to the back of the church where he got pretty rambunctious. We were able to get back into the ceremony just in time to witness the vows. It was so beautiful I cried!

As promised, here are lots more pictures from the weekend of Aunt J and Uncle S's wedding! Here are some pictures form the rehearsal dinner.

We luckily had two flower girl dresses, so M was very pretty for both rehearsal and wedding. It was a long night and the kids were pretty pooped by the end of it. We had a delicious dinner at Buttita's.

Aunt J and Uncle S got married last weekend, and they asked M to be the flower girl. It was a great honor for M, and she made us all so proud. I will have more pics later, but these are the initial few:

The beautiful bride Aunt J and M at the rehearsal!

M's "practice" flower petals - very easy to make. I just eyeballed a flower petal shape, and then used my finger nail to curl them. Even made them in the wedding color scheme!

Getting ready for the practice round!

C had no interest in sitting through the rehearsal, and instead was loud, obnoxious, and insisted on wondering around the church and up into the choir loft until I eventually took him outside to the playground:

Friday, August 20, 2010

C has been learning and practicing his animal noises lately. He will copy almost any noise we make, and does a decent job. He has mastered:

Roar - and can I say, he couldn't be more adorable when he roars!

Moo

Baa

Neigh

Meow

Quack Ooo-Ooo Aaa-Aaa

and is working steadfastly on
Woof
Ribbit
Gurgle (fish sound)
and more!

We've had lots of great animal books to help us out along the way. Even though most of them do not specifically emphasize animal sounds, we add them in!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric CarleMy First Word Bath Book has a really great animal page with vibrant picturesShark in the Dark by Ben Cort- a great rhmying book, and we do roar for the shark, and gurgles for the fish.Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina - lots of monkeys!Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? by Dr. Suess The Farmyard Tales series has lots of different animals too.

Also, Sandra Boynton has some really fantastic books.Moo, Baa, La La LaDoggies! - Lots of woof, bark, arf-arf, and a nice long howl too!
And my new favorite, a gift from Aunt B, is called Perfect Pigs, and you can download the song from her website! Highly recommended!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

K took the kids to the airport last week! Apparently it was such a slow day at Willard Airport that the staff told her to head over to Flightstar. Staff gave them a personal tour, and even let them get in an airport firetruck with sirens, lights, and all! The kids were fascinated, and the friendliness and service of the folks there was so phenomenal! Even told them to come back again!

K has been busy this summer! She has taken the kids all over the place. She is so great at keeping me involved with the kids, and sending me pictures throughout the day of their adventures. Here are some highlights from today's trip to Allerton Park.

The kids walk through the towering juniper bushes.

Stopping for a pose on the steps of the sunken garden.

M posing with a statue.

C on the steps of the gazebo.

M pushing the stroller through the Fu Dog garden - one of my all-time favorite gardens! How cool!

Curious Minds, Pure Hearts

I created this blog to try to capture the magic of childhood, the essence of what youthful spirit brings to our lives. My children put a smile on my face every day, and I wanted a place to record those moments. My own mother recorded snippets of her children in writing, and looking back at those is a precious memory for me.

About the Kids

M is a 6 year old ball of fire. She is feisty, bossy, and beautiful. She is in preschool now and absorbs knowledge like a sponge. We have to be very careful what we say around her because she remembers just about everything. The day she learns to read/spell, my husband and I will need to think of a whole new way to discretely communicate (Pig Latin!)

C is 4 and couldn't be more of a Boy. His motto is "how far can I throw it, and how loud can I make it crash". He likes noisy toys, the louder the better. Every day I see him learning new things, especially from M. They get along beautifully, but they definitely have their sister/brother feuds.